Book Group of the North Shore

Our book club began in 2001 with five original members. We have grown to 14. Most of us have been educators at some point in our lives, teaching everything from preschool to college.

Laura Caldwell, author of "Long Way Home: A Young Man Lost in the System and the Two Women Who Found Him," came to our book group meeting in January to discuss her fascinating book about her friendship with Jovan Mosley and his eventual acquittal of murder charges after he spent 51/2 years in jail.

Sometimes we take field trips that tie into books we've read. We went to Oak Park after reading "Loving Frank" by Nancy Horan; we toured the site of the 1893 Columbian Exposition after reading "The Devil in White City" by Erik Larson; and we went to Springfield and toured the Lincoln museum after reading "Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln" by Doris Kearns Goodwin.

Some books we loved: "Anna Karenina" by Leo Tolstoy, "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck, "Empire Falls" by Richard Russo, "Mr. Pip" by Lloyd Jones and "The Remains of the Day" by Kazuo Ishiguro.

Most members disliked "The Museum of Innocence" by Orhan Pamuk, finding it disjointed and slow-moving, with characters we didn't really care about.

Next book: "You Know When the Men Are Gone" by Siobhan Fallon.

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